ASSOF Chapter 02

I’m awoken early the next morning by the sun streaming in through my bedroom window and the sound of my shower turning on behind the closed door of my bathroom. A quick glance at my phone tells me that it’s 7 AM, which means I’ve only gotten just under two hours of sleep, and I groan slightly as I turn back around to bury my face in my pillow. Christian and I made love all night, and as incredible as every moment of it was, my body is sore and I’m so tired I can’t even think coherently. I really want to go back to sleep but it’s Saturday and today is my last day with him until he has to go back to Seattle tomorrow morning. I don’t want to waste the whole day sleeping…

Coffee. I need coffee.

With an extraordinary amount of effort, I roll out of bed and make my way over to Christian’s suitcase. I’m still naked from last night but putting on real clothes seems like too much work right now. So, because I know that we’re alone and the house and will be for the rest of the weekend, I settle for one of his t-shirts and then make my way down to the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee.

While I wait next to the counter, listening to the hissing and gurgling of the machine, I take a second to stretch out my tired muscles. I ache everywhere, but it’s a good ache, an ache that I’ve missed desperately since I’ve been away from Christian. When I’m finished and the coffee begins pouring into the pot, I gather the dishes still laid out over the dining room table and rinse them off before putting them into the dishwasher. Thankfully, even though Christian’s a terrible cook, he wasn’t very messy so it doesn’t take long for me to have the kitchen put back together enough that I can make us something for breakfast. There’s fresh jam from the farmer’s market in the fridge, so I decide to keep it simple and just pull the bread out of the cupboard. But while I’m buttering Christian’s toast, I feel his arms wrap around me from behind.

“I sent you shopping all day yesterday and you’re still wearing my clothes?” He asks softly, nuzzling my hair as he pulls me into him.

“You could buy me all the clothes in the world. That’s never going to change,” I tell him.

“Good,” He says. “You look incredibly sexy in my t-shirts.” His hands reach up and cup my breasts through the thin cotton, and he moans slightly when he finds I’m not wearing a bra and he can roll my nipples through the fabric.

“Don’t tell me you’re ready to go again…” I say, almost incredulous. “Didn’t you get enough last night?”

“I’ll never get enough of you, Ana,” He says.

I moan slightly at the feel of his breath and his lips playing lightly against the skin of my neck and then turn in his arms so that I can kiss him. His hair is still damp when I run my fingers through it and his skin is still hot from the shower. It’s comforting and makes me want to press as much of my body into him as possible so that I can envelop myself in his heat.

“Seems I’m not the only one who can’t be sated,” He teases me when I pull away from the kiss. I give him a mischievous look, then reach down to quickly untuck the towel wrapped around his waist, and let it fall to the floor.

“Oops,” I say, looking up at him innocently.

“Hmm,” He hums. “Whatever are we going to do about that?”

“I have an idea,” I tell him and I bite down on my lip as I push him back slightly and then ease myself down onto my knees. He watches me intently as I stare into his eyes, and grip him by the base of his half-hard erection.

“Oh, baby…” He groans, his eyes brightening as I wrap my lips around him and I begin to push him slowly into my mouth. I massage him with the flat of my tongue until he reaches the limit at the back of my throat, and then I ease back, tracing my tongue along the well-defined veins and the lip beneath the frenulum before moving down again. He reaches down and wraps my hair around his fingers, encouraging me to move faster and deeper, thrusting his hips forward slightly when my lips linger around the head of his erection too long. At one point he pushes a little too far and I gag around him, and while I have to quickly pull backwards, he lets out a deeply satisfied moan.

“Look up at me, baby,” He says. “Let me see those beautiful eyes.”

I do, and then tighten my lips around him as I take him in my mouth again. His breath hisses between his teeth when I pull him back to my limit once more, and then use the muscles in my throat to swallow over and over again.

“Oh fuck, Ana,” He gasps, tightening his grip in my hair. I feel his erection harden even further in my mouth, telling me he’s getting close, so I reach up to use my hand, sliding it up and down his length in opposition of my mouth. His hips begin pushing forward again, more aggressively this time, so I relinquish a little of my control to let him set the pace that’s going to get him across the finish line. His breathing is labored, the muscles in his legs are tight… He’s almost there.

“Fuck, baby,” He hisses, his voice labored now. “I’m going to come.”

“Mmm,” I moan back, tightening my lips around him to express my satisfaction. He lets out another deeply gratified sound, and after three more harsh thrusts, he pulls me into him, pushing as deeply as possible into my mouth, and I feel warm liquid begin to drip down my throat.

“Jesus, Ana,” He says, when his orgasm finally comes to an end. He leans over slightly, using the counter to support his weight while he reorients himself. But, when I get to my feet, he quickly pulls me against him and kisses me again.

“You. Are. Incredible,” He whispers, between each sweet kiss he places against my lips. I hum softly and then pull back so I can look at him.

“You’re not so bad yourself, Mr. Grey.”

He smiles, letting out the softest breath of a laugh, before his eyes twinkle mischievously. “Well, I’ve had mine,” He says. “I think it’s your turn.”

I shriek as his hands shoot down to my sides and he lifts me up onto the counter. In the next second, he’s ripped his t-shirt over my head, and his lips have claimed mine once again. I take a moment to enjoy the feel of his tongue massaging mine, his taste, the scent of my shampoo in his still damp hair, but when his fingers dip down between my legs and seek out my clitoris, I gasp against his lips and all the muscles south of my navel clench.

His lips move down my jawline to the curve of my neck and when he slips a finger inside of me, I lean forward and wrap my arms and legs around him. A second finger joins the first and soon my whole body is trembling while he moves them in and out of me.

“Now, let’s see here…” He says, quietly. His fingers begin to move in different directions, swirling around, searching every inch of me until…

“Oh, fuck!” I cry out, gripping more tightly to him as a jolt of pleasure courses through me. He lets out a low, gravelly growl.

“That’s it, baby. Feel this.”

He increases his pace, moving his fingers in and out, directly into my g-spot every time. It’s almost too much and my body begins to shudder, involuntary spasms washing over me as I try to squirm away from him and the intensity, but his free hand holds tightly to my hips, refusing to let me escape. I can’t hold onto him anymore. My body falls back against the cabinets, my chest heaving with my harsh, erratic breath.

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!” I scream. “Christian! Fuck!”

“Yes!” He hisses. “Come on, baby. Give it up for me. Come in my fucking hand.”

I’m building and building, knowing the higher I climb, the longer I’ll fall, but as my body begins to heat, and I’m just about to tip over the edge, the glass door only ten feet away from us slides open.

“Oh… gross!” Kate shrieks, turning around to shield her eyes.

“Shit!” I yelp, shoving myself forward into Christian’s chest since there isn’t anything within reach to cover myself with.

“You better wash that counter,” She says irritably, still looking away as she moves behind Christian to get through the kitchen to escape.

“What are you doing here, Kavanagh?” Christian snaps, the anger in his voice apparent. “I brought Elliot so that he could keep you out of the house.”

“Well, he bought you a night,” She says. “He’s on his way back to Seattle.”

“Seattle?” Christian asks, turning towards her. “What do you mean…”

“I’m gonna need you to put some pants on if you’re going to be asking questions,” Kate interrupts him, holding her hand out in front of her to block Christian’s junk from her field of vision. Christian narrows his eyes at her as she turns around again and hurries out of the kitchen, and when he turns back to me, I stare back at him in shock until, eventually, I drop my head into his shoulder and start laughing.

“Lucky, Kate,” He replies flatly. “Are you…?” His eyes shift down between my legs and then back up to me.

“Oh yeah, that’s gone,” I tell him. “We’re well past that point now.”

“Great.”

He bends down to pick up the towel on the floor at his feet, wraps it around his waist, and then throws me the t-shirt he’d tossed to the floor on the other side of the room. The second I’m no longer completely naked, I hop off the counter, wipe it down with a Clorox wipe, and then hurry upstairs. Christian follows me and gets dressed, but while I make my way to the shower, he heads back out to the hallway and seconds later, I hear him bang on Kate’s door.

“What?” She asks, only just loud enough that I can hear her over the water. I want to turn the shower off so I can eavesdrop better but I also don’t want to be caught snooping, so instead, I head over to the bathroom door, opening it slightly, so I can hear what they’re saying.

“Why is Elliot going back to Seattle?” Christian demands.

“I don’t know,” Kate says. “He had to do something for work.”

“He didn’t tell me that.” Christian argues, and even though I can’t see her, I know from the long drawn out pause that Kate is rolling her eyes at him.

“Well, maybe he missed the memo where everyone is expected to run every decision they make through you first.”

I blanch. God damn it, Kate…

“You really want to go there with me, Kavanagh?” Christian asks, his voice icy, and there is another long pause before Kate answers.

“Look, I’m tired. I’m just going to spend the rest of the weekend in my room so you guys can do whatever it is you were going to do and pretend I’m not here, okay? Go take the hotel room if you want, it’s empty.”

“I don’t want the hotel room, that’s why I booked it for you and Elliot. So, why aren’t you in it?” Christian asks.

“I don’t know, Christian. He left. I didn’t want to stay there by myself… I promise I’m not going to ruin your weekend. You won’t know I’m here.”

“Fine,” He says at last, though I can still hear the reluctance behind the acceptance in his tone. “But I’m not toning anything down just because you’re here. It’s your choice to stay.”

“Fair,” She says. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take a nap.”

I hear the door close and then turn around and jump in the shower, pouring shampoo into my hand as the water wets my hair and then immediately working it into my scalp so that Christian won’t be able to tell that I was listening instead of showering.

“Your friends…” He sighs as he comes into the bathroom.

“You don’t think anything is going on between Kate and Elliot, do you?” I ask, pulling back the curtain a little so that I can look at him. “I mean, it’s weird that he would just leave in the middle of the weekend. Isn’t it?”

He shrugs. “Sometimes business calls. He’s just starting out and it’s a lot of work. When GEH first opened its doors, I was working almost eighteen hour days, seven days a week. He’ll get the hang of it eventually and be able to normalize his schedule more. He needs to find someone he trusts to help him. I’d have never been able to take this weekend with you if Ros hadn’t taken over the audit.”

“Has he said anything to you?” I ask.

“No,” He replies, shaking his head. “And if there was anything to worry about, he would. They’ve been together a long time, I’m sure if there is anything going on between them, they’ll work it out.”

“Okay,” I say, though I don’t feel as reassured about it as he seems to be. I’ve lived with Kate and Elliot for two years, they’re obsessed with each other. It just seems off that Elliot would put anything before her, especially something like work… He’s always been a family first kind of guy and he definitely thinks of Kate as family.

“Do you want to go out and do something today?” Christian asks, leaning against the counter so he can see me better through the gap in the shower curtain.

“Like what?”

“Maybe go walk around campus?”

I lean back and raise an eyebrow at him. “You want to go down to campus?” He nods and I look at him, surprised for a moment, and then smirk. “Huh. Well, look who finally wants to go to Harvard.”

“It’s a big part of your life, and I want to be apart of it,” He says. “Besides, I have a lot of happy memories at Harvard. I’d like to relive some of those with you.”

“Okay,” I agree. “Just give me twenty minutes.”

He nods and then exits the bathroom. I hurry through the rest of my shower, listening to him checking in with Ros over the phone through the door before I pull out my hair dryer. Once I’m finished though, I open the bathroom door and find Christian has disappeared. I assume he’s gone to eat the toast I started for him, so I quickly dress and then make my way down the hallway to the stairs. But, when I pass Kate’s room, I think I hear her crying inside. I pause, take a second to listen, and then knock on the door.

“Katie?”

The sobbing sound stops. “What?” She asks.

I open the door and find her in her bed, wearing running pants and a baggy sweater. Her eyes are puffy and her cheeks are bright red.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, closing the door behind me and hurrying to sit next to her on the bed.

“Nothing,” She says, shaking her head at me. “I’m starting my period in a few days, it’s just PMS.”

“Are you sure?” I ask, skeptically.

“I’m sure. Christian is only here for one more day, Ana. Don’t waste the time you have with him on me. I’m fine, I promise.”

“Okay,” I agree hesitantly. “But we’ll talk tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow,” She nods.

I take a deep breath and get up, pausing briefly at the door to give her a chance to stop me, just in case she really does need to talk, but when she doesn’t say anything I slip back out into the hallway and make my way downstairs to where Christian is waiting for me. He hands me a cup of coffee, which I take gratefully and slam back as quickly as possible, and after taking a few bites of his toast, we head out to the back alley where the Lexus is parked.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I ask as he walks to the driver’s side.

He raises an eyebrow at me. “You know, I did live in Cambridge for a year. I think I know how to get to campus from here…”

“Uh huh,” I say doubtfully, “And if you hit traffic on Cambridge street?”

“Then I’ll use Broadway,” He counters.

“Rookie mistake,” I say, pushing past him and opening the driver’s side door for myself. He stares at me incredulously for a moment but eventually, he concedes and moves around to the other side of the car.

I pull back down the alley and turn south toward Auburn, which is where we’ll be most likely to find parking. As we wind our way through the streets of downtown though, Christian seems much more interested in examining the car than paying attention to where we’re going. He asks me dozens of questions about the car, from which aftermarket modifications we went with to how it has handled on the roads. Unfortunately, since I’ve been sick nearly the entire time I’ve had this car, I haven’t done much driving so I’m not really able to answer him. I do assure him though that Luke will happily talk Car and Driver with him all night if that’s something he’s into.

Once we’re on campus, Christian wants to see where all my classes are this semester so that he can picture me better when I’m at school talking to him over the phone. Unfortunately, it’s a fairly boring tour as all of my classes are in the Barker Center this semester, and he’s had classes in this building himself. Still, if he’s bored he doesn’t let on. Instead, he asks questions about the subjects I’m taking, and my professors, and if I’ve heard anything about my book yet.

“I’m supposed to schedule a meeting with Dr. Ralston,” I tell him, “But the beginning of the term is so busy I haven’t had the chance yet.”

“And where is his office?” Christian asks.

“It’s right…” My voice cuts off as I turn around to point out Dr. Ralston’s office, and am surprised when the door opens and he walks into the hallway.

“Speak of the devil,” I say, and then grip tightly to Christian’s hand and drag him down the hall. “Dr. Ralston!”

“Anastasia?” He asks, narrowing his eyes as if to see me better, and once he’s sure it’s me, his face breaks out into a smile. “Hi, how are you? I actually just sent you an email to schedule some time with you. I have your book ready to review.”

“Oh, great,” I say happily. “I’m sorry, I’ve been meaning to reach out to you but I’ve had a weird start of term. How was your summer?”

“It went very well. I’d ask about yours but I’m afraid it would be disingenuous if I told you I hadn’t already seen some of the things that were written about you over the summer.”

“Oh…” I say, feeling my cheeks immediately heat. “Yeah, it was eventful to say the least.”

“I’ll say. It’s not every day I can turn on the evening news and see my best student in a sit down interview with Elizabeth Vargas.”

“We tried to get Diane Sawyer,” Christian interjects. “But she was unavailable.”

“I’m sorry,” I say, suddenly remembering myself. “Dr. Ralston, this is my boyfriend, Christian Grey. Christian, this is Dr. Thomas Ralston, he’s the head of the English department.”

Dr. Ralston nods at Christian and then turns back to me. “I’ll look forward to your email, Anastasia,” He says. “I’d like to get the ball rolling on this as quickly as possible.”

“Yes, sir,” I agree. He shakes my hand and then reaches out for Christian’s once more.

“And congratulations to you, Mr. Grey. Anastasia is a beautiful young woman.”

“I think so,” Christian says, almost a little curtly, and as Dr. Ralston excuses himself and turns to leave, I look up at Christian with confusion.

“That was kind of rude…”

“Why did he call you beautiful?” He asks.

“Because he was being nice?” I reply, but Christian narrows his eyes at me.

“Nice, huh? How much time do you two spend alone together?”

I roll my eyes. “Stop it.”

“How much time?” he repeats.

“Hardly any,” I say with a sigh. “He’s my professor, Christian. We talk about my writing and he brings me doughnuts. And, he’s like… almost seventy years old.”

“Right, because no one has ever heard of an older professor using his position and influence to coerce a young college student into compromising positions.”

“You’re ridiculous,” I say, brushing off his concern and walking towards the exit. He follows after me, making wild accusations and asking pointed questions until we’ve made it into the heart of campus and my unwillingness to play into his jealousy finally forces him to let it go. There are more students out here, hanging out in the quad and hurrying across the paved walkways to the library and study groups. His mood does lighten up a bit though as we walk past the familiar landmarks that make up the Harvard campus and we start reminiscing together. There’s a rowing practice happening outside today, so we decide to stop in the campus market for some sandwiches and then head down to the grassy knoll by the river to watch.

“Garbage,” Christian mutters, shaking his head as he looks down at my watch to check the time it took them to finish the course.

“They looked pretty good to me,” I argue, but he shakes his head.

“That’s a 500m course and they finished it in a minute and thirty-six seconds. We ran that same course in our last meet when I was captain in a minute and twenty-seven. You know, when we beat Dartmouth and took home a trophy. But that’s neither here nor there.”

“Well, get out there,” I taunt him. “Go teach those youngsters how you did it back in your day.”

“They couldn’t keep up,” He replies, giving me a cocky smile as he looks down at me. “Though McCray, the guy third from the back, was on the team when I was captain. I would have thought I’d left a better legacy than this.”

“Guess you’re just not as good of a teacher as you think you are. Maybe that’s why Elliot had to leave this weekend.”

“That’s harsh, Anastasia,” He says, pushing me slightly. I laugh, but as I push myself up off the grass, I yawn. The day is starting to catch up to me and between the warm sun and the sound of the river lapping against the shower all mixed together with the lack of sleep from last night, I don’t know how much longer I’m going to make it without a nap. I lean my head over on Christian’s shoulder, feeling my eyelids droop.

“You ready to go home?” he asks.

“Mhm,” I mumble.

“You know, you really should try to get more sleep. Staying up all night just isn’t healthy.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I say, rolling my eyes as I get up off the lawn. He laughs and follows after me, taking my hand as we head back up campus towards the car. It means that we walk through the residences and, as we cross the Old Yard, Christian smirks and nods his head in the direction of Grays Hall.

“How much do you think I’d have to pay to get whoever it is who lives in my old room to let me fuck you in there one last time?”

“Probably not as much as you think,” I reply, and suddenly, I’m stopped dead in my tracks as Christian yanks on my arm, pulling me back into him.

“Let’s find out,” He jokes. I squeal as he reaches down to pick me up, but just as he lifts me over his shoulder, I see a familiar face that makes my gut clench.

“Stop!” I yell, struggling out of Christian’s arms. He releases me, easing me back down onto the ground, and I immediately start looking back and forth across the yard, but I don’t see her anymore.

“I thought…” I hesitate as I scan the yard once more. “I thought I just saw Leila.”

“Leila?” He asks. “Leila Williams?”

I nod and he turns around and begins searching too, staring intently at each of the faces of the few students walking back and forth up the walk ways around us, but I don’t see her anymore. It’s strange. I’m certain it was her…

“We need to get you into bed,” Christian says after his inspection is complete. “I think you’re hallucinating.”

“Maybe,” I say doubtfully. He looks at me worriedly for a moment and then takes my hand to lead me back towards the car again. As we walk between the buildings on the edge of the yard, I look over my shoulder once more, unable to shake the uncomfortable feeling that we’re being watched.